This invention relates to swimming handboards, and in particular to wave-riding/speed-swimming handboards.
Bodysurfing is an ocean sport. It involves swimming in front of a wave until the wave "catches" the bodysurfer and pushes the bodysurfer along its front edge (the terms "swimmer" and "bodysurfer" are used interchangeably herein, but this invention is not limited to bodysurfing). Handboards are used in bodysurfing to aid the bodysurfer to catch waves and to maneuver on the waves.
A speed-swimming stroke is needed to catch the wave. Speed-swimming utilizes an armstroke that punches through the surface of the water and extends forward below the surface, then pulls straight back beneath the swimmer.
A number of handboards have been developed to aid swimmers. These hand paddles use a "pull from the surface of the water" style of armstroke. However, these prior handboards are ill-equipped for the speed-swimming arm stroke and increased speed required for body surfing.
As the speed of a bodysurfer increases, the force of the water on the bodysurfer increases. Devices with only a single band to hold the handboard on the bodysurfer's hand, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,415 to Kozak and U.S. Pat. No. 2,313,979 to Tuma, would catch their forward edges if forced into a flow of water and therefore would dive or stop. Large concave devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,972 to Larson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,138 to Cochran also will dive upon entering the water and will not allow a swimmer's arm to extend fully in the forward direction. Because of their tendency to pull a swimmer surfer's arm downwards, the above described inventions are unsuitable for a speed-swimming stroke.
A device such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,395,914 to Grundmann binds the hand to a flat piece, causing tension from the unnatural flattening, which shortens the time in use because of fatigue.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a handworn device that effectively increases the pulling area of the hand.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a device that does not substantially increase the forward resistance of a swimmer's hand.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide such a device that allows the hand to remain in a comfortable, natural position during use so that the time in use can be maximized.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a handboard that does not dive or dig down into the water when thrust forward into the water during a speed swimming stroke.